In the Northeast, 50% of adult ticks carry Lyme disease carrying bacteria

Jan 17, 2025

Across most of the Northeast, getting bitten by a blacklegged tick-- also called a deer tick -- is a risk during spring, summer, and fall. A new Dartmouth study, published in Parasites and Vectors, finds that 50% of adult blacklegged ticks carry the bacteria that causes Lyme disease while 20% to 25% of the younger (nymph) blacklegged ticks carry the bacteria.